Listen: all you gamers who grew up on Dungeon & Dragons, R.A. Salvatore or Gauntlet should be reading DC Comics' Demon Knights. Written by Paul Cornell, the monthly series throws together a motley crew of medieval adventurers out to defeat powerful necromancers for personal reasons that vary wildly.

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The basic approach may sound like standard stuff, but Cornell sketches out the characters out with sharp dialogue and compelling character dynamics. With a Shining Knight that may be gender-bending, an Amazon in exile and several immortals, everyone's got complicated backstories. This issue in particular looks two of those long-lived cast members, pulling back the veil behind the shared history of Madame Xanadu and the demon Etrigan. I like Cornell's slightly modern take on Merlin here; it seems like he can see the love triangle between man, woman and demon before it even happens. Demon Knights #8 is out this Wednesday at comics shops and digital storefronts everywhere. Click each page for a larger version.